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Shatter of Dewdrops
That was what I call a start of a great relationship. Her name was Storm. She was a creature of time and space, the creator of the winds and the rain. She was a true beauty, and I loved her when I first saw her. But I didn't know that until later on. My name is Dewheart, and I died while fighting foxes to protect the patrol from them. I had pursued Storm and her patrol, desperate to help them in times of need. But instead, I had ended up dying. My tail? It's not the best, but I can share lots of heartbreaking moments I've experienced. I've certainly gone through a lot, but it was worth it. She was worth it. Storm was someone I wanted from the very beginning. When I became an apprentice, I began to meet up with her. She was beautiful and witty, smart and cunning. She knew how to get past me without me even noticing her. When I became a warrior, I wanted her to join the Clan. But she refused, saying that her life was to be a rogue, living with her sister in the wild. I regretted not joining her in the wild, I may be a proud and strong warrior today in StarClan, but I will never have kits with Storm, I'll never experience life with her. She and I are forever apart. I've held you up for too long, you should see the next stage of my life: "Dewpaw, let's hurry!" Lightningtail glared at him. The brown apprentice scurried forward, trying to hurry to his mentor. "I'm coming!" He froze as his eyes rested on a silver pelt. "Dewpaw, stop staring at the bush. We need to go hunting before all the prey hides in the shadows of their den!" "I'm sorry." He murmured, trodding behind his mentor now. Lightningtail stopped near the lake. "I think it's a great time to look for water voles, they're usually near here." Dewpaw looked eagerly around. He loved to hunt, and he relished the taste mouse and vole. Sniffing the air, he scented mice nearby. Crouching down low, he slid forward carefully, tracking the mouse. At the last second, he paused to check his position. Then he leaped. When he made his kill, Dewpaw heard a small gasp. He whirled around, but he didn't see anyone near him. Confusion made him wrinkle his forehead, but he continued to hunt. He spotted a crow pecking among the woods, and dropped his mouse under a bush. Sliding forward, Dewpaw held his breath excitedly. He wanted to catch this crow and make Lightningtail proud. He always felt clumsy, and he wanted to prove himself. Leaping quickly and killing the crow with a clean bite, Dewpaw heard a soft mew. "Wow, nice catch!" He turned around, but there was still no cat behind him. He began to feel nervous. "Who's there?" He glanced around wildly, but there was no one to be seen. "I-" The soft voice was cut off when Lightningtail caught up to him. "Nice catch, Dewpaw!" He praised. "I see that you're turning into a fine hunter." He dropped Dewpaw's mouse by him. Dewpaw dipped his head, feeling embarrassed but annoyed. The voice was getting closer to him, but was driven of when his mentor came in. He wanted to know who was watching him. "Let's go back to camp." Lightningtail purred. The brown apprentice nodded and plunged after his mentor. He didn't like the idea of being out alone, where he would be alone with whoever was following him Dewpaw settled near his sister. Hazelpaw was fidgeting quietly. "How's your training going?" She murmured, her paws still clawing at the ground. The brown tom shrugged. "It's fine, but I'm not the greatest hunter or fighter ThunderClan could ask for. What about you?" Hazelpaw sighed. "That's the problem. I can't remember half the herbs, and Jayfeather is getting annoyed with me!" "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon." She shrugged. "Jayfeather's just cranky, and it's hard to work with him when he's blind. I mean I know he's pretty familiar with his surrounding, but it's unnerving." Dewpaw rested his head on his paws, closing his eyes. "Well it seems easier than training to become a warrior. It's exciting, but I can never get the hang of it." He opened his eyes a bit, and sighed. "Do you ever dream of becoming a warrior?" Hazelpaw shook her head. "No, not at all. I want to become a medicine cat with all my heart, but it's real hard to adapt to. Plus, I sleep with Jayfeather every night, he's a bit... awkward I would say." Dewpaw snorted. "I like Jayfeather, he's like the best medicine cat anyone could ask for. He may be sarcastic, but at least he's nice and kind." His sister shrugged. "I guess, I hope I get the hang of herbs soon! See you later, Dewpaw, I have to prepare for the half-moon meeting." He watched her go, thudded to his nest to rest. "Dewpaw!" "Huh?" He woke up in his dream, and saw his mother, the kind and caring Morningsun who had died during an outbreak of greencough. "Mother!" Morningsun purred. "My son." They embraced, and Dewpaw nuzzled his head against her soft pelt. "What brings you into my dreams, Morningsun?" The pale yellow she-cat sighed. "You have a straight life ahead of you, but you'll be swamped with doubts at one point of your life. You will meet love, and you will have to make decisions. It will be hard, but you must make the right choice." He swallowed nervously. "Is this 'love' bad?" "No, but it may cost a few things." Morningsun whispered. "Be prepared, Dewpaw. I have faith in youl..." She started to fade away, but Dewpaw held on. "Wait!" He gazed at his mother pleadingly. "Why did you have to die?" His question came out as a hoarse whisper. "Why?" Morningsun closed her eyes. "I had to go because it was my time to die. That was your first challenge, Dewpaw. You have many more to face..." Dewpaw woke up, feeling a bit strange. He felt peace and relaxed. Morningsun had visited him! He closed his eyes, relishing her warmth and her kind gaze. He wished she didn't have to die that leaf-bare. Breezepaw was snoring nearby, and Dewpaw saw Lionblaze padding out into the sun. He was a senior warrior, but he rarely fought in battles. Bramblestar had asked the aged warrior whether or not he wanted to use his power in battle. Lionblaze had refused. Dewpaw thought about Hollyleaf, the sister of Lionblaze and Jayfeather. The Great Battle had been harsh on her, and she had died protecting Ivypool. "Dewpaw?" Lightningtail poked his head in. "Can you go fetch moss for the elders' bedding? I'm cleaning out the elders' den." "Sure!" He dashed out into the fresh, crisp morning. The air was clean and Dewpaw inhaled the fresh air. He started to gather moss like Lightningtail taught him, using the flick of his paw to gather moss without getting the bits of wood and stones. "That's a cool way to collect moss." This time, there was a gray she-cat staring at him. She was about two moons younger than Dewpaw, and her blue eyes were watching him carefully. "Who are you?" The she-cat licked her paw and rubbed it across her face. "I'm Storm, who are you?" Dewpaw swallowed quickly, trying not to turn red. "Dewpaw." "That's a cool name." Storm mewed, her tone light and friendly. "Where are you from?" Her curious eyes bore into his yellow ones. Dewpaw dipped his head in greeting. "I'm from ThunderClan. What about you?" "You're from the Clans?" Storm seemed to be astonished. "That explains your funny name. I live with my sister over there." She pointed with her tail towards the forest and empty land near ShadowClan. Dewpaw studied her features carefully. "You're pretty young." He noted. Storm shrugged. "So are you." Their eyes locked for a moment, blue against yellow, then Storm turned abruptly. "I have to go help my sister now." Then she was gone. Dewpaw sat there for a moment, a bit astonished at what he had just experienced. "She's a funny young she-cat." Dewpaw muttered as he gathered more moss. His growing pile began to pile up beside him. He finally stopped, his paw tired, and he started to bunch it together to carry it back to camp. He was struggling to carry that huge ball of moss under his chin, and was slipping and sliding down the ravine into camp. Lightningtail spotted him, and laughed. "You're an over-achiever, Dewpaw. There's no need to gather so much moss if you can't carry it all back!" He dropped the moss and huffed. "I brought it back didn't I?" "Well," his mentor mewed, amused. "Now you have to pick that all up." Groaning, Dewpaw gathered the scattered pieces of moss into a tiny ball and tossed it with the flick of his paw to Lightningtail. His mentor easily caught the moss and began spreading it out to form a nest. "Keep it coming, Dewpaw!" He called out. The brown apprentice gathered up the remaining pieces of moss and flung it at Lightningtail. "That's about it!" Lightningtail emerged, covered in moss. "Couldn't you tell I wasn't ready to catch that last one?" He growled as Dewpaw snorted in amusement. "I'll get you later in training!" He called after his snickering apprentice. Dewpaw sighed as he waited for Lightningtail, feeling a bit sorry for his mentor. "Okay," he mewed, emerging from the den. "Let's go to battle training now." Lightningtail grunted as he shook off the remaining pieces off moss of his back. "Coming!" Dewpaw trotted alongside Lightningtail. "Who am I fighting today?" Lightningtail thought about that for a moment. "Rosepaw." He decided, "She's coming over today to practice her skills." "Rosepaw?" Dewpaw narrowed his eyes. She was a tough she-cat, almost a warrior. She would be a hard opponent to fight. "Scared?" Lightningtail teased. Dewpaw fluffed out his fur. "Never! I'm just thinking of strategies to beat her." His eyes sparkled, but his belly was still filled with unease of fighting an experienced apprentice like Rosepaw. Lightningtail was still watching him with amused eyes, and Dewpaw blushed. "Okay, okay! I'm a bit nervous. Happy?" "I knew you would be." Lightningtail snorted. "Against a she-cat?" Dewpaw glared at his mentor. "I'm sure you've lost to she-cats too!" Lightningtail only winked and get walking, leaving Dewpaw and to seethe and chase after him. "Lightningtail, you're finally here." Squirrelflight mewed, her eyes scanning the area. "Ah, Dewpaw." She greeted him. Her apprentice, Rosepaw, was staring at him eagerly. "Yes, we're here now." Lightningtail mewed curtly to the deputy. The two had a short staring contest, and Dewpaw shifted nervously. Lightningtail never got along well with the deputy, and that always made Dewpaw slightly nervous. Just slightly. Okay maybe more than slightly. Rosepaw's orange eyes were sharp and eager. "Can we get started?" She mewed, her gaze sweeping over Dewpaw. The brown apprentice glared back defiantly. I'm not going to lose to you! "Start." Squirrelflight yawned. "Go ahead and fight. Remember, claws unsheathed." Dewpaw didn't wait for Rosepaw to attack. He lunged for her, attempting to sweep his paw and catch her. But she easily caught him and flipped him over. "You'll have to better that that, young one." She laughed. Bristling, Dewpaw snagged at her fur, but she easily batted his paw away. Gritting his teeth, Dewpaw waited for her to make her move. She purred in amusement as Dewpaw fluffed out his fur, trying to seem more threatening. "Come on, Dewpaw, are you scared to attack me?" She taunted. Dewpaw didn't move. "Oh, I know you're afraid of losing to she-cats, but certainly you can't be possibly thinking of losing to me? Are you that bad?" Yowling in anger, Dewpaw barreled into Rosepaw, knocking her back. She staggered, but regained her balance before Dewpaw could lunge again. "That's better." "You're not my mentor." He hissed softly. Rosepaw only smirked. "But I should be." He muttered under his breath and rolled aside as Rosepaw darted in. Kicking out with his hindlegs, Dewpaw tried to catch her in the belly, but she was already behind him, wrenching his leg back. "Ow!" He yowled, cringing as his leg screamed in pain. "What was that for?" Rosepaw only glanced at him innocently. "You have to be stronger than that, Dewpaw, or the other Clans will trample over you, breaking all your legs." He winced as he tried to put weight on his leg, but managed to bowl Rosepaw over. "Nobody calls me weak and gets away with it. Especially if they tried to break my leg!" "I only bruised it," she muttered, "Relax." Dewpaw snorted and fought back harder, smacking and whirling her back until she ducked her head down and tried to wriggle past him. Dewpaw slammed his paws down, catching her and causing her to fall over. "Now's who's better?" He snarled. Lightningtail broke them up, and noticed Dewpaw limping. "What's wrong?" Dewpaw glared sullenly at Rosepaw. "She tried to break my leg." Squirrelflight was sternly telling her apprentice about battling styles, and Lightningtail guided him away. "Come on, let's get you to Jayfeather and Hazelpaw." Dewpaw limped back to camp, wincing everytime his foot touched the ground. Hazelpaw fussed over him when he came through the entrance, asking how it happened. "Rosepaw wrenched it." He muttered. Hazelpaw sighed and began to massage his leg. "Thanks." Dewpaw sighed, closing his eyes to go to sleep. "Anytime, brother." "Dewpaw." The apprentice woke up, groaning. "Who's there?" Jayfeather was sleeping now, and Hazelpaw was curled in her nest. The whole camp was asleep. "I'm here." The brown apprentice squinted in and dark and stared at the figure, surprised. "Storm?" The young gray she-cat nodded. "I came to see you." Dewpaw furrowed his brow, "It isn't safe here, Storm. If ThunderClan finds you here, they'll kill you!" Storm only laughed softly, her eyes twinkling. "It's okay, I'm fast." The brown apprentice struggled to sit up, and limped towards the entrance. "Come on, let's go outside so we won't be spotted." Dewpaw grunted, passing by the guard, who only stared at him with a curious gaze. "I'm going to take a walk to stretch my leg." Dewpaw told Brackenwing, who just shrugged. Storm slipped by unnoticed, and she examined Dewpaw's leg. "What happened to it? It wasn't like this last time." She's observant. Dewpaw noticed. "I was training and Rosepaw wrentched my leg." Dewpaw mewed. "It's fine, it doesn't hurt anymore." That was a lie, and Storm knew it. She frowned and mewed. "Wait here." She disappeared for a moment, and Dewpaw sat down, sighing in relief as his leg rested. He hated dragging it around, it hurt more like that, but the pain was still great when he was walking on it. Jayfeather told him he had to exercise it more or else he'll lose the leg. "Here, put this on." Storm mewed, appearing with a root in her mouth. "It's chervil. It should help your leg." She promised. Dewpaw let her apply the herb on and lay down on his side. "How do you know so much about herbs? Are you like a rogue medicine cat?" Storm laughed like that was amusing. "Are you kidding me?" She mewed, "You don't know any herbs? No, we don't have medicine cats, but I just naturally learned it from my mother." "You don't seem so happy all of a sudden." Dewpaw mewed. Storm looked away. "I'll tell you next time." "What happened to you?" Dewpaw mewed suddenly, spotting scratches alongside her flank and on her shoulder. One little scar marked her cheek, and Dewpaw lifted a paw to trace the wound. She flinched back, and Dewpaw withdrew his paw, blushing. The gray she-cat looked uneasy, and was glancing around. "Well... just a few days ago, my mother died of green-cough just recently. My sister, Shade, she always relied on her family to keep her stable. She was born with a mental disability, so it's easy for her to lose her mind. "After Leaf died, Shade started to lose her mind. She attacked everything she saw, and tried to chase me away from our den. She's gone now, but she's done her damamge." Storm dipped her head, hiding the scars. "They're nothing." Dewpaw frowned. "That's not nothing, Storm. You should do something to help yourself too. Is your sister evil and mean?" "No!" Storm mewed, astonished and surprised. "She cares for me." That made him a bit suspicious. "Then why did she attack you?" Dewpaw questioned, pointing at her scars and her wounds. Storm sighed. "Didn't you hear anything I just said? Shade relied on us because she cared for us. She's a bit unstable, and when our mother died, she lost her mind, therefore attacking me, the closest cat in sight." "Oh." The gray she-cat stood up. "It's going to be dawn soon, and you better rest. I'm going now." She waved her tail, and before Dewpaw could say a thing, she was already gone. "Bye?" He struggled back to camp, and was soaked in the morning dewdrops. Jayfeather ordered him back to his nest, and he sighed, dragging his tragic leg along. Hazelpaw spotted him and rushed over. "Where did you go? There was a slight rogue scent around the den, and I thought a rogue kidnapped you!" Storm... ''Dewpaw thought. "No, I'm fine. I went for a walk." Jayfeather grunted. "Next time tell me before you run off like that. Hazelpaw kept me up because she was worried about you. Now you both get some sleep so I can rest too." "Grumpy old cat." Dewpaw muttered playfully at Hazlepaw. His sister slapped him lightly with her tail. "He'll teach you how to behave." She mewed, her eyes sparkling. Dewpaw knew she was just worried about him. Curling up in his nest once more, Dewpaw fell asleep. When he woke up, he had a surprise visitor waiting for him. Her rose colored fur was fluffed up against the cold wind, and her eyes were sad and waiting. Her tail was curled tightly around her, and her orange eyes blinked rapidly. "Rosepaw?" "Yeah." She mewed. Dewpaw sat up slowly. "What are you doing here?" He mewed incredulously. After their fight, Dewpaw would have expected Rosepaw to be sullen and sulky. She sighed. "I'm visiting you." "And why is that?" Rosepaw stared at him. "I wanted to apologize for almost breaking your leg." She mewed. "I wanted to show you what would happen in a real battle, but I overdid it." Dewpaw considered her apology for a moment. "It's okay." He mewed. "If you didn't do that, I wouldn't know what could really happen in a real battle." ''But I wouldn't be in a tragic state... But then of course, I wouldn't have been able to see Storm that easily. Dewpaw still didn't know how he felt for Storm. Rosepaw stood up to leave. "I'm really sorry, Dewpaw." Then she was gone. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the HighRock for a Clan meeting!" Bramblestar called out. Dewpaw staggered outside, and lay down uneasily near the medicine cat's den. Was Bramblestar calling a meeting to declare Dewpaw useless? Or was he going to banish Dewpaw?'' In that case, I can go live with Storm.''Dewpaw thought mutinously. "One apprentice has successfully gone through six moons of training and had proved her worth in her assessmnt. Rosepaw, please step forward." The proud she-cat stepped forward. "Squirrelflight," the leader adressed his deputy and mate. "Do you believe that Rosepaw is ready to become a warrior?" "I do." Bramblestar nodded and turned to Rosepaw. "Rosepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend this Clan with your life?" "I do." "Then by the powers of StarClan, I grant you your warrior name. Rosepaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Roseflower. StarClan honors your bravery and knowledge, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan!" "Roseflower! Roseflower!" Dewpaw stayed quiet, not sure what to do. But when the new warrior turned her head pleadingly to Dewpaw, he reluctantly chanted out her new name. "Roseflower!" She gave him a sad smile and he returned it. At least she was kind enough to apologize. Dewpaw rose and limped back into the den, knowing he had to rest his leg if he was to hunt anytime soon. It was a few days later when Jayfeather woke Dewpaw up. "I think you're good to go, Dewpaw. Just don't get into any physical activity for awhile, and you'll be fine." The medicine cat ushered him out the door, his blind blue eyes somehow staring at Dewpaw. Hazelpaw waved goodbye to Dewpaw, and the brown apprentice waved back to his sister. Lightningtail greeted him outside and purred. "Is your leg all better now?" Jayfeather grunted. "It will be soon if Dewpaw stays out of physical activity for awhile. He can hunt, but no fighting." Lightningtail nodded his thanks to Jayfeather, then remembered he was blind. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, Jayfeather." He mewed quickly. Dewpaw followed his mentor, his leg still aching, but not as much. He no longered limp, and Dewpaw wasn't feeling as feverish as he used to be. "I think I'm getting better." Dewpaw murmured. "You think?" Lightningtail snorted. "Of course you're getting better! Why else would Jayfeather release you?" Lightningtail pointed out. Dewpaw only shrugged and followed his mentor outside of camp. "Where are we going?" "You're going to do your hunting assessment. Jayfeather said you could only hunt, so we'll do this assessment today." The brown apprentice blinked in surprise. "Today?" "Yes, today." Lightningtail mewed briskly. "Do you have any questions?" Dewpaw shook his head, still slightly bewildered. "What if I can't hunt on this leg?" Lightningtail stared at him. "You just said you had no questions." Dewpaw blushed, but insisted on knowing. "Well, we'll take it again next time if you fail today." Category:Fanfics